In Spite of Everything
by Leara Bribage
Summary: "But today, you are real, very real," she continued, placing a hand on his chest. "And you are fragile, but you are my immortality—" she paused, taking his hand and holding it with her hands "—here in my soul, no matter the sojourn of my life." Dedicated to the shobey1kanoby who made the cover image in da. You can find her here, too: fb. com/nicoleshobedesigns
1. Reasons We Live

**[A/N]: **This fic was created because my friends and I believed that this ship is _worth it_. And I wrote this story this way because I wanted to answer questions _Frozen_ wouldn't clarify about certain characters and events. Hence, I weave the stories of Jack, Elsa, and the people that surround them into this. I hope you would enjoy it.

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**Chapter 1: Reasons We Live**

He's always believed in the moon, despite the rising of the sun.

But he didn't always understand a lot of things, and that alone made him doubt the great illuminator of night.

Why people _can't _see him, why or _how _it happened, and why did he have to live, like, for _so _long. He didn't get immortality—it was confusing and scary. Living in isolation was something he never expected when he was still among the living, visible people. He didn't like the sinking feeling of being lonely—you just don't get used to it, honestly. Though he would like to admit that it helped him think and just observe interesting people, being invincible and alone can take its toll on you, and truth be said, he has had enough.

Nope, just nope—Jack Frost had dealt with his age and physique frozen, but he did not like the melancholy that accompanied this so-called immortality.

Jack lived for fun, and if he was 'immortal', it had better be **_F-U-N_**.

And sure, the occasional snowball fight with the children even if they didn't really actually see him, blizzards and snow-crafting were nice, there was just something nagging in his chest—and he didn't really understand it—about feeling so… _empty. _

Maybe that's the problem with being immortal.

He felt time pass as seasons would, but it never really mattered to him—it didn't actually _bother _him, how he wasted eternity because there was just _nothing_ worth living for, since he didn't know what or who it is and how he could fulfill that.

And he has tried asking the Man on the Moon. A lot, an awful lot.

As usual, though, he didn't get answers.

Staring at the zenith tonight, Jack fought the urge to cry. Sighing, he leaned on his staff as he sat on the roof of a castle. It was a lonely night like all the others, and he didn't expect much. Why he went here, though, he forgot. He was attracted to the vibrant colors and wonderful structure of the palace when he saw it earlier this morning, so he thought about sleuthing around it.

Perhaps, that's what interested him to stay for the night in Arendelle.

Or maybe because, even in winter, the castle looked radiant, like it could emit warmth—warmth he has unfortunately and forlornly missed.

Smiling, Jack Frost decided he loved the place.

But in the silent night, his careful ears heard something sounding like a sob. So he tilted his head a bit toward the direction of that cry and used it as a lead to go and find out why someone was weeping in such a house as theirs.

When he reached the window where the sob came from, he perceived a family—the monarchs, it would seem by the magnificence even of their sleeping robes—natural philosopher, two nurses and five ladies- in- waiting in a burgundy room. They seemed frantic, as the situation would allow, since a woman is giving birth but seeming to have problems with it. Her supposed husband, who must be the King, could only watch in fear and anxiety as his wife cried in pain.

The King turned to the natural philosopher and said something.

Not minding the snowflakes forming on the windowpane, he softly pressed his hand on the glass to hear what they were talking about.

"What seems to be the problem with my wife's labor?" the worried King asked, his knuckles turning white in his agitation.

"Your Majesty, she is having complications. The child's feet presented itself first rather than the head, which is the most convenient! But that does not seem to be the only dilemma, I fear. I have tried my best to get the babe, but there's something around its neck, it would seem. This is most unfortunate, Your Majesty, and if I don't do anything soon, the poor child or the Queen will die!" the natural philosopher answered earnestly, pausing for a while to look at the King, whose face turned as white as the snow.

"Do you think I should call for magical folk?"

"Heavens, Your Majesty! Why call such tomfoolery to the castle? I will endeavor to save _both _of them, even if my life were to be put at stake. Please say your prayers, instead. And not that I mind their help, but it would be too late if we were to have them here! So, my King, please say your prayers with the women."

Suddenly, the queen cried out in anguish as she tried her best to push the babe, but failed still and was hurt after her endeavor. The natural philosopher gazed desperately to the King, who nodded gravely.

"If you think so, then, but I think the women are having a handful with my wife at present. I will do it here. I'll just find a corner. You pursue helping my wife with her labor, dear philosopher."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best."

"Yes, you're welcome. Now, carry on. I've delayed you much already," the King finally said, turning away from the labor and walking towards the windows, where Jack was. As soon as the monarch was near him, Frost flew away a little bit but stayed close, so he could see how the King would pray.

Not that the monarch would see him, but, well, Jack just wanted to respect the King's moment of privacy.

Opening the window, the King looked forlornly at the sky and sighed, closing his eyes. Then he whispered, "Please, dear God, give my wife and child a chance. I offer her to you. Please let them live, and I will do my best to ensconce them and the kingdom with love." He opened his weary eyes and gazed at the great moon, not minding the chill of the air he gradually felt.

Jack Frost sort of understood the pain the King was feeling. Calling out to the Great Unknown was a much familiar occurrence to him, so he knew what the monarch was going through. Unbeknownst to him, though, as he continued listening to the King's prayer, snowflakes coming from his hands swirled out and went into the warmth of the burgundy room.

Jack joined the King in his pleading as someone from the room suddenly shouted, "By Jove! Your Majesty! The Queen lives! The babe lives!"

The King, blinking tears from his eyes, smiled and immediately ran to their side, forgetting to close the window. Jack Frost used this momentary negligence of the monarch to get in and have a look at the delivered baby. It was a rare occurrence for him to perceive, and he was not about to let this chance pass him by.

He flew above them and took in the sight of the new human being of the world. The baby cried loudly, as newborns were wont to do, and Jack observed the child. The babe was a girl, and he heard the King exclaim songs of triumph and joy. He saw the father take and cradle his daughter.

The King smiled at his wife, who was thoroughly worn out but managed to look glowing, and mouthed, "Thank you."

Jack's lips unconsciously curled fondly at the moment.

Then he noticed the natural philosopher, who neared the King and said, "I just observed, Your Majesty, that your daughter seems to have tufts of blond hair. I do not think your wife the Queen deceived you since we were present during the commensuration of your marriage, but I wonder why she the Princess does not bear the same brown locks as yours?"

Jack rolled his eyes at this.

"It does not matter, dear philosopher. It will not bother me and my wife Your Queen. This daughter of ours is a blessing and a miracle. I'd rather you not question the paleness of her hair," the King answered tersely, glaring at the natural philosopher. Calming down a bit, however, he said, "But I thank you, good sir, for delivering our daughter. Our gratitude to you is extreme."

The natural philosopher, humbled, smiled and bowed deeply. "Anything for your family, Your Majesty."

Giving the child to one of the nursemaids who immediately set the baby upon a ready crib, the King then nodded and neared his wife, who watched his little tirade with a small smile. Jack Frost, still floating, hovered above them to go to the crib because he wanted to see the child closely. Ignoring the conversation around him, he peered at the hand of the baby. She opened her small fingers, and he held up a finger—just so he could try and see if babies could perceive him.

Suddenly, he gasped when she curled her tiny fist around his finger. What was more astounding was the chill he felt emanating from the baby. Confused but happy, he smiled instead and whispered, "I hope you have fun, my friend."

Then he released his finger and flew away from the family. But when he reached the window, Jack stopped to gaze at the new family. His lips curled once more, and he then flew out.

He made sure to let some snowflakes fall.

And when he was almost a mile away from the burgundy room, he heard a female voice—the Queen, he thought—exclaiming, "Snow crystals! What a blessing for our daughter!"

Jack smiled widely and thought silently to himself that he may hate this immortality and its loneliness, but having powers that could make people happy was something he would never loathe.

He never should doubt the moon, really.

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**[A/N]: **So what do you think so far? Any least/favorite scene/stuff/etc.? Tell me about it. :)


	2. The Prowess of a Sovereign

**[A/N]: **Thank you for those reviewed/favorited/followed. I value you all. :) Now, screw uploading quickly. I wanna let it go! :D Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: The Prowess of a Sovereign **

"Ooh, look snowflakes, Elsa," Anna teased. "It's going to be your birthday soon!"

Elsa smiled as she turned to look away from the window she was gazing upon to perceive her sister. "Snow crystals, you mean?" she corrected. "And thanks for reminding me that I will be getting old. Soon."

Anna laughed and nodded. "Yeah, snow crystals, and you're dreadfully welcome. But we should totally give you a wonderful celebration like your coronation day last year—but you know, only better!"

"Agreed," Elsa responded. "Anyway, are you, Kristoff, and Olaf ready now?"

The brunette rolled her eyes teasingly. "Of _course_, sister. We've been up for _hours_ doing so. Oh, that reminds me, I think I have to meet them now at the gates. We'll see you at nightfall, then?"

"Nightfall," the queen acquiesced.

Anna hugged her and ran ahead.

Elsa was then left to gaze by the windows once more. She looked up at the sky and observed the snow crystals. Smiling at it, an image of a snow haired boy suddenly appeared on her mind, and she stopped staring outside.

_No_. _Not anymore_, she thought glumly, walking away from the window.

She won't think of… of him anymore. It's been fourteen years. That would be enough.

"Surely," she muttered to herself.

Perhaps, not, because the moment she thought of his snow hair, her mind began to relive the memories she had with him—how he smiled, how his blue eyes twinkled, and… and—.

"Your Majesty?" Theodora, her lady- in- waiting, called her to reality.

"Yes, Theodora?" Elsa asked, feeling slightly relieved for the diversion.

"The council of advisers is ready for you, Your Majesty," Theodora answered. "They are waiting at the chamber to our right, Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded, smiling. "Yes, thank you, Theodora."

Theodora curtseyed and gestured to the butler, who was called Stefan, to open the door for the queen.

Elsa thanked them both, but before entering, she said to them, "You two need not call me 'Your Majesty' when we are alone. Just call me by my name—it would suit us better, don't you think?"

Not yet used to the new behavior of their Queen, who used to be so uptight at court, Theodora and Stefan looked at each other before gazing at the queen and then smiled.

"Yes, Yo—um, Elsa," they answered in chorus.

Elsa nodded and then entered the chamber.

The council of advisers stood when she entered, and she quickly let them sit. She told them not to mind waiting for her as she walked to her own seat. When they were all settled, Elsa gazed at them all and smiled.

"Good morning, everyone," she greeted.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," they greeted likewise.

The queen nodded and sat up straight. "So what are our agendas for today?"

The counselors scanned their notebooks and told in chorus, "Commerce, festival, and the justice system, Your Majesty."

"Commerce, all right. What problem do we have here?" Elsa asked.

"Your Majesty, what do you propose we do, now that you've terminated all sorts of trade with Weasel town?" one of her council of advisers inquired, his beard twitching when he said the former economic partner kingdom's name.

"Weselton," Elsa corrected, eyeing the counselor amusedly.

The other advisers laughed, but he merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Aye, Your Majesty, Weselton, it is," he rectified.

The queen nodded and gazed upon the people at the table. The council immediately silenced. Smiling, she appropriated the conference.

"Our goal for Arendelle is to increase its profits through the help of the proletariat community. Our kingdom will not exist without its citizens and the working force, so we must take care of the laborers by _fully_ acknowledging their rights. I do not want to hear any sort of unjustified treatment of the proprietors to their workers. If there is such a case, I want it _heard_ at court, so I can levy the rightful judgment," Elsa said, pausing to mentally go through her list of subjects needing attention.

Before she continued, she looked around her, taking in the adviser's reactions. Some assented. A few, she noticed, seemed revolted. Elsa immediately called upon Victor, who seemed to look disagreeable the most.

"Councilor Victor, does my proposal trouble you?" she asked. "If there is anything you would like to tell me about this propaganda, I'd be glad to hear it."

Victor pursed his lips for a bit and then eyed the queen. "Well, Your Majesty, I am a little vexed at your suggestion, but I am not sure if you would wish to hear my plea."

Elsa raised a brow. "You have a plea? You may tell me—it might ameliorate the plan."

"Well, my queen, not that I harbor any ill will towards your, um, _will_, but do you not think that you are giving too much for the working class?" he began explaining.

"And how am I giving too much?" she asked.

"You want us—_us _bourgeoisie—to '_fully _acknowledge their rights', and you want their cases to be heard at _court_. Isn't that a little too much?" Victor replied, looking to the other advisors for support. The other councilors' faces remained blank—they seemed wary of the queen's wrath.

"And how is that a 'little too much'?" the queen pushed.

Victor shrugged to ease his anxiety and then hurried to elucidate his point, "Well, Your Majesty, it seems to me that you might become too attached to their plight and forget that the proprietors and people at court need your immediate attention, too."

A few councilors muttered, "Ah, hear, hear."

Then others followed.

"Oh, yes, I forgot. The palace guards were complaining of their uniforms."

"And the kitchen maids—they said they needed more ingredients for the upcoming feast with the queen's mother's cousin's family's family."

"The palace's bushes need trimming, I've seen."

"Ah, yes, the bushes at the garden! They've become dreadful to look at!"

"Truly."

"Honestly."

"_Po_sitively."

Perplexed, the queen gazed at them. Victor took this as his chance to gravitate Elsa to side with him. He grinned at her, who merely raised a brow.

Victor coughed. The council of advisers silenced once more. They all gazed at the queen.

"Well—," she began.

But Victor cut, "So you see, Your Majesty, it is us that needs your undivided attention. After all, _we _help you with the kingdom."

Elsa raised another brow and resisted the urge to roll her eyes—best of all, though, she tried to avoid tapping her foot or chilling the room. So she sat straighter and saw the councilors shrink somewhat. Even Victor seemed to lean further in his own chair.

"_First_ of all, I would like to thank you all for your commentary. It helped me prove my point, which leads me to the second. _All _of us are _working _for Arendelle, our kingdom. None of us are actually above the others, as you, Victor, would seem to imply. But before you all form a mutiny against me, let me clarify. _Without_ the proletariats, our working force, we would not have the food we eat, clothes we wear, and things as such. But without the monarchy and people of the court, we will not function as a sovereign. _Third,_ I am not becoming too 'attached' to them just because you think I _favor _them. No, that is not true and not what I meant. I give them respect, just as they give me mine because they help the kingdom function _economically_, which is the _focus_ of our discussion—and not the prejudices of a dominion over a subordinate. As I've said earlier, _we all work _for Arendelle. What differs is the level of service we serve for each other in this nation—it is not blood, birthright, or money. _Fourth,_ it is not only their cases I want to hear at court. If instance, a worker did not properly do the job his proprietor designated him to do, I _will _have it heard here. _Fifth_, all your concerns—though not petty—regarding the palace guards and bushes are labored by the same people you seem to dislike. _Sixth_,even if we do not have Weselton as an ally, we have France, the elder Princes of the Southern Isles, Corona, especially, and other countries on our side. We will pursue my parents' trading policies and conditions with them," Elsa finally rebutted, gazing at them fiercely.

None of them uttered a word. Not even Victor, who was thoroughly looking ashamed of himself.

"So," she continued, "if you were all truthfully, honestly and positively listening to me, you would _understand and comprehend _why I wished to focus on the proletariats during my first term as your queen."

She breathed.

"Was I clear?" she finally asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," they answered in chorus.

"Wonderful," she replied. "And just to inform you, I have tasked Princess Anna and Kristoff _and _Olaf with checking the working conditions of the businesses of Arendelle. They are going around the nation, as of the moment. I will be receiving their reports at the end of the day. Any questions?"

Frederick, the one seated beside Victor, raised a query. "Your Majesty, when you mean 'checking the working conditions of the businesses', you mean to say that our own industries are being monitored?"

"To put it simply, yes," the queen answered.

Frederick's jaw dropped, and so did the others. "B-but why were we _not _informed of this in advance?" he burst tersely.

"I am checking the integrity of your commitment to Arendelle in the primordial phases of your being advisers to me. Some of you, I personally selected to be here. Some were recommended to me. Now, if Anna and the others suspected any malevolent elements over the course of their supervision, then you will be subject for trial at court. If proven innocent, you may conduct your business as you regularly do. If evaluated otherwise, your industry will be suspended for a month and the owners will be held at prison and put to counsel," Elsa replied. "I trust you understand that you are all set to this and that I give no exceptions."

"Queries, then?" she asked again.

Louise, one of the women Elsa chose for her council, spoke. "And what if the owners or workers were suspected of treason or any other grave act?"

Elsa replied, "After the trial, our council will speak to them. We will evaluate. If the outcome is ill, we will have to, at best, exile them for a year or until as such when they have realized their error. I do not wish to have injustice permeating our kingdom. But if proven otherwise on a lesser degree, they will do the nation service by doing the lowest form of labor. Would that suffice?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they replied.

She gazed around them once more and said, "I believe we're done with the first agenda, then?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they answered in chorus.

Nodding, she looked to her right and saw Alphard, the raven- haired consulting prodigy her father told her when she was fifteen. Her father the King greatly favored the sixteen year old during his last year. She had chosen him not just because of her father, but because she wanted to test his alliance, too.

So she asked him, "So, Alphard, what do we have next on our agenda?"

Alphard checked his leather- bound notebook and pointed a finger on a certain part of a page. Then he looked up at her and said, "The upcoming winter solstice festival, Your Majesty."

"Ah, yes, Princess Rapunzel and her husband the Duke Eugene will come. I almost forgot. Thank you, Alphard," Elsa responded, closing her eyes and laying her hand on top of the desk.

"You're welcome, Your Majesty," he replied, smiling.

Elsa nodded and then asked them, "All right. Committees. Alphard and Louise, you do the liaison with the countries. Frederick, the food. Victor, the tournaments. And the others,…."

When the meeting with the council of advisers ended, Elsa set to go for a walk, but before she left, Alphard and Louise caught up with her and called her attention. The queen halted, turned and raised a brow at them. "Yes, what is it, Alphard? Louise?"

Louise bowed a bit and smiled, saying, "We are very impressed with how you dealt with the council, Your Majesty."

"You reminded us of your father a lot," Alphard remarked, his grey eyes twinkling in reminiscence.

Refusing to let morose events muddle her thoughts, Elsa smiled weakly at their compliments and nodded. "Thank you," she replied. "I will do my best for this kingdom, in honor of my parents."

"Well, in that respect, you have done them justice today," the raven- haired advisor said, smiling.

Louise acquiesced to this with a nod.

Feeling her cheeks redden, the queen remembered not to indulge herself much from compliments. She had to remember to be careful, even if she liked the camaraderie she felt with the two. So Elsa smiled once more and said to them, "I'll have to go now. I'll be reading the recommendations for the educational system in our kingdom for a bit."

The two councilors bid her a goodbye and left.

Why Elsa chose to lie to them, she really did not know, but when she felt sure that no one around was watching her, she headed to the rear gates to go to her ice palace.

As she walked around the halls, she kept perceiving portraits of her parents because she had asked the kind maidens to raise the dark curtains so she could see their faces once more, but now she wished she hadn't.

It just evoked memories she didn't want to resurface anymore. It was too much for one day. Though one would think those three years after their demise, one would be used to the pain, but not the young queen, who could not forget. Suddenly, Elsa felt her milieu feel colder. She gritted her teeth and crossed her arms, breathing.

She had to get out now.

Finally reaching the rear door, she ran.

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**[A/N]: **So what do you think? Any favorite/least scene/stuff? Tell me about it. :)


	3. To Have Fun

**[A/N]: **Hi, again! Thank you all for reading/reviewing/favoring/following this! I am happy to hear your thoughts. Here's a trivia: this chapter was the first one I wrote because I was inspired by a certain picture I saw in tumblr. It was supposed to be just like a drabble, but then I ended up ranting and ranting and thinking what else has _Frozen _not answered, so it became longer than I thought it should have been. I'm not so sure what to think of this 3rd chappie.

Nonetheless, enjoy! :)

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**Chapter 3: To Have Fun**

Elsa then headed to the North Mountain.

She needed to breathe and when she saw the carefully reconstructed ice palace she built, Elsa smiled.

Running up the stairs to her door, she opened the threshold and sighed. She ran a hand through her hair and walked slowly to her balcony. When she reached it, she gripped the handle and stared into the setting sun.

She briefly wondered if her parents thought of the beauty of the sun setting when they left that fateful day. If that was the last thing they beheld, or if they immersed their heart with it when they died. If they did, then they have nearly taken all the warmth Elsa could give because it was just hard to love freely. Closing her eyes, the queen remembered the heat of the sun when she peered at it through her window that day. But now she wished she hadn't. Looking at one right now, she sighed.

"If only you and mother did not have to go," she whispered, a few tears shining in her eyes. "I can be free, truly free."

And then, the tears—_oh, how she wanted it to stop_. She could feel it as it nearly blinded her as despair found a way to clutch at her heart. She gasped and quickly covered her mouth with a hand as she closed her eyes.

"If true love could thaw death as it would a frozen heart, I would give _everything_ to have you back," she muttered. Then she raised her graceful head and shouted in the distance, "I wish you were here!"

Then she looked down and cried once more.

"Why can't I let you two _go_?" she asked herself.

And in her isolation, she didn't expect anyone to answer. Up here in the cold thin air, no one would. Not that she wanted anyone to.

But fate wishes otherwise. While Elsa mourned once more of her parents, snowflakes—or, as the protagonist of this story wishes so, snow crystals—suddenly fell, and a snow haired boy with an ancient staff flew down and slowly neared Elsa.

"You _can_ let them go," the snow haired boy said behind her.

Shocked that someone answered her, Elsa turned and gasped when she saw who it was.

"_Jack?_" she whispered. "I… I haven't seen you in _years_."

Jack tilted his head a bit, a small sad smile on his face. Clutching his staff a little tightly, he put it in front of his foot. He looked down for a few moments before gazing at her.

"I've always been here. I was here when you turned summer into winter. I was here when you cried for your parents. I was here when you accidentally hit Anna," he said, moving closer to her.

"But most of all, I was here when you were playing in the palace gardens, too," he continued, reaching to touch Elsa's hand.

Her hand twitched, and she instinctively moved back. Not because she was afraid of him. Not because his touch is cold—they are both immune to pain associated with frost—but because of the deeply ingrained fear of her own powers. She might hurt him, and though she was better at controlling it, she still had her days.

Days when her thoughts would spiral and spiral until she was consumed by the plethora of it, so she would suddenly burst. Anna would usually be there to ease her while Kristoff would make minuscule ice figures of the snow spontaneously bursting everywhere. And Olaf…, well, was Olaf. And because the Ice Master had taken to create snow people from her hysteria, the snowman from her childhood had taken to beg for a snow woman. She has not done so, yet, because… well… snow folk could be very, well, touchy. So, _shh_. Do not speak of this to Olaf—it is classified information, lest you wish to be frozen?

Going back to the real world—ah, she zoned out again, Elsa gazed at the man standing—or was he floating? Oh, right! He knows how to fly—before her. She took in the whiteness of his hair, how his lips curled fondly but enigmatically, and how his fingers tightened around his ancient staff. He was still the same as before. But gone was the youthful and jovial air around him when she was a child. She did not perceive the mischief in his blue eyes.

This is why she knew he could and would understand. Anna would not. And though Elsa loved her sister dearly, the young princess would not comprehend the ambiguous life of having this cur—um, gift. Kristoff's love affair with ice would do no better either. Olaf would get it a bit, but he was too attracted to thoughts of summer, so she'd rather not confide to the snowman.

But Jack — Jack was different.

Years before, when she was still a child and her slumbers were disturbed by a petulant Anna, she saw him.

It was yuletide, and she was permitted to go out to ameliorate and control her "gift" in the palace gardens. Anna wasn't able to play with her because she was still learning her letters and languages with their mother the Queen. Nonetheless, for a seven year old Elsa, it was a nice change. Not that she hated being with her sister, but when it was only her and her powers, she could just let her thoughts take form.

So young Elsa sat on a bench and thought of what she would like to try to make with her snow.

She's made icicles, snow men, and a bunch of pretty things, but what would she do today?

Looking around, she spotted a lone red rose and smiled. Perhaps, that would be a good object to practice with. She closed her eyes tightly and readied to release the "gift" she concealed within her. When the rose has been imprinted on her mind vividly, she breathed and removed her gloves. Making a circle with her hands, she let the wind and sky guide her in molding the flower. Moments after, a frozen facsimile of the plant rested upon her hands.

Squealing with delight, she raised it above her and stood. Gyrating a few times, she stopped suddenly and PLOP!, accidentally tripped on a root of a tree. The frozen rose slipped from her hands and broke on the ground. Sitting up from her previous fall, she saw the mess and picked a fragment of its petal up. Sighing, she looked up to the gray somber heavens and cried.

"This is why I should conceal it!" she burst tersely, throwing the fragment away and sobbing on her arms.

The wind blew softly, like it was consoling the child, but young Elsa did not welcome the embrace. She was too bothered by her failure, and she did not like failing or breaking things. This was why she hated to go outside sometimes. Everything was fragile. Too fragile. Her father the King warned her to be very careful, and she's trying, really, but it's just so hard. Even if she has to do it for the sake of her throne! But she was seven! Seven only, God permit!

"I don't like this ice power," she muttered, her tears clouding her sight. "It doesn't bother me much, but it bothers others, and I'd hate to become bothersome to my people."

She sighed, resting her head on the trunk behind her. Elsa sighed and closed her eyes, letting her tears dry—oh, she had better not touch it, as she might freeze the teardrops, and going around looking like that was just going to attract unwanted attention from her ladies-in-waiting and the queen. She was rather content with this moment of isolation. She liked this solitude with the quietness of her surroundings—she could think. Perhaps, it would be better that way.

Suddenly, something round, white, wet, and snowy hit her face.

_Anna!_

She immediately opened her eyes and scanned all the possible places Anna could hide in. Unfortunately, though, nothing seems to be out of place in the palace gardens. She could hear birds — chirping and twittering – somewhere. Elsa turned her head to the other side, but she saw that the trees were still.

Then it hit her again.

"Anna! Come out! Let's play! Be fair with me!" she shouted in the empty garden.

Hearing no response, she stood and pouted. Then suddenly an idea popped into her head. If her sister wasn't going to be fair with this game, she had better prop herself properly. She let her power gather snow and build a sort of barricade around her. Looking around to reconnoiter her sister, she made a snowball with her hands.

"Come on, Anna! I thought you wanted to build a snowman?" she teased, chuckling and readying for an attack.

When she heard something whish somewhere behind her, she made to throw her snowball there. But as she did, she saw no one there.

"What?" she muttered to herself.

Invigorated by this disappearing act of her sister, she made snowballs with both of her hands. But before she could even perform a sort of blitzkrieg to attack and defend herself, she was hit twice—_again_.

_Defeat once more, _she thought. She would have none of this anymore.

Thinning her lips, she squatted a bit and raised her hands slowly, preparing to create a bit of a blizzard. Not a snowstorm exactly—oh, she wasn't planning that, she wouldn't want to put Arendelle into _deep_ snow—but she would need to create something similar but minuscule to win.

So she closed her eyes and released it around her.

And it felt _good_, this feeling of emancipation—being free like the snow crystals—snowflakes, actually, yes, but they looked like crystals, so crystals, it is—that fell during her season, winter.

But even freedom has its limitations. She couldn't let her powers go to the fullest yet, lest she do something unwarranted and out of her control. So she carefully and slowly peeked through her right eye to look at her milieu, and oh, what a mess did she make.

She need not speak of its pandemonium.

Suddenly, someone laughed.

It sounded like a boy, she thought. But she hasn't seen anyone enter their threshold. Or the palace gardens, for that matter.

Someone poked her shoulder.

Raising a delicate brow, she turned and then gasped when she saw an adolescent boy. It's not that Elsa wasn't used to the princes visiting from Weselton, the Southern Isles, or France, but she has not seen _any_ boy of this sort!

He has white hair like—like _snow_! And blue eyes filled with mischief! He looks a bit like her! (She smiled and blushed a bit at that—'cause he was, um, fine-looking).

But, wait, why was he wearing no shoes for his feet? (Is he not cold? But she'd like to do that, too, actually, since the cold air have always been her friend. She never really understood what shoes were for, aside from hygienic purposes, in winter when her mother knew that it did not affect her.)

And why isn't he speaking yet? Surely, introductions were permitted? Wasn't that the proper way of things?

She blinked. He blinked.

Elsa laughed, covering her mouth with a hand.

The boy laughed, as well, and she could see how much his eyes lit.

"You can see _me?_" the boy with snow hair finally spoke, eyeing her happily.

She vigorously nodded, clapping her hands. Then she suddenly stopped.

_Why am I clapping?,_ she thought frantically, but she looked up at him and smiled.

"Of course, I do. You are standing _right _in front of me, right?" she replied properly, albeit a little teasingly.

The boy with snow hair smiled wider. Then he sat down and leaned on his staff.

"Hi, I'm Jack Frost. I see you have ice powers," he introduced himself, holding his hand out to her.

Elsa gasped. _He saw her playing with her power! _

"Y-y-you saw me playing with ice?" she asked, bewildered. "Please _don't _tell anyone!"

Setting his hand down, Jack raised a brow and tilted his head playfully.

"Yeah. But I don't think there's a problem with that. I do that too," he explained, smiling.

Elsa's eyes widened. He had powers like her! Oh, joy! Finally, she can have someone to share her burden with.

"You _do? _Truly do?" she inquired, a hand covering her mouth to contain her obvious glee.

And when he nodded, she squealed and hugged him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the young Elsa burst.

She felt him return her embrace a few moments later. Then she went back and put her hand out to him like he did a while ago. Jack smiled and took it.

"I'm Elsa. I'm heiress to the kingdom of Arendelle. I will become queen like mother when I've achieved one-and-twenty. I got this ice power when I was born," she said, shaking his hand.

Chuckling, Jack replied, "I am honored to meet you, Your Highness, Princess Elsa, future Queen."

Elsa took her hand back and grinned. She watched Jack kneel to meet her eyes. Then his lips curled before he asked, "So you were saying something about building a snowman?"

The young princess smiled and nodded. Jack took her hand and looked around them. Then he gazed at her, who was doing the same thing. They knew what they were going to do. He nodded and released her hand.

While Elsa closed her eyes and raised her hands, Jack lifted his staff. Then they pictured what they wanted the snowman to look like. Giggling before drawing their breaths, they moved in sync to procure their idealized ice craft. When they finished, they saw what they did and laughed.

"This guy has no nose," Jack mockingly seriously said. Then he turned to her and smiled. "Do you think we messed our creations up?"

"I think not," Elsa replied, admiring the messed-up features of their snowman. "Our snowman is uniquely inspirational."

"Uniquely inspirational," Jack muttered to himself, his lips curling in fondness. Humming, he shrugged to Elsa.

"What do you want to call the snowman?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know. Hmm, wait," Jack said, pausing to think. A few moments later, his blue eyes twinkled. "Oh, I know! Olaf!"

Elsa's brows furrowed. "Olaf?"

Jack chuckled a bit. "Because I like warm hugs," he answered.

The young monarch looked at him quizzically.

Jack fidgeted and scratched his neck lamely. "I mean, well, you laughed with me today. And then you hugged me. First time anyone's given me that for _years_, so Olaf."

Elsa was still not convinced, but, hey, Jack was her first friend who _actually _understood her ice powers, so she should try to respect his naming preferences.

So she laughed and went behind the snowman, waving the branches stuck for its arms and saying, "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"

She saw him snort and then giggle.

"Thank you, Elsa," Jack said, smiling genuinely.

"You're welcome."

"Hey, um, I've got to leave soon."

"Oh? All right."

"So I'm going to leave you a present."

"Oh—a present!"

"Yes. Close your eyes."

"Okay…"

Then Elsa felt him go behind her and put something in her hands. She opened her eyes and saw a frozen rose—just like what she did a while ago! _Wow_! Jack—where's—?

She turned to see him, but could not find him.

_Wait_.

Was this just a dream or a figment of her imagination—meeting Jack Frost? But no, Olaf the Snowman was still there—without a nose, but still there. And the rose was still in her hands. So he had better be _real_.

Where was he?

"_Hey_, Elsa!" someone shouted from above.

Elsa looked up and saw Jack flying, so she gasped and screamed his name.

"Don't _worry_! I'm fine. I fly a lot. I hope you like your gift!" he answered back.

"I like it! I like it a lot! Thank you!" she said back.

"You're welcome! Now, see you! Have fun, okay? I'm off!" he replied.

"Do you _have _to go?" Elsa asked, clutching the rose to her heart.

"I have to. It's okay. You'll be fine. I'll be back for you," Jack said, waving.

"Okay! Bye!"

"Bye, Elsa!"

And that was the first and last time she saw and heard of him.

She remembered going home with the widest smile on her face. The queen even asked what greatly improved her mood, as she was rarely happy when she went home after her "controlling" sessions. But Elsa never told her of the boy with the snow hair because it was her own secret, so she just told her mother, "I just built a snowman whose name is Olaf!"

The queen smiled at that and thanked the heavens for this small miracle.

Elsa thought so, too, but she wondered when she would see her friend again. But later, when she was comfortably tucked into her bed and Anna was asleep, she realized something. She actually _met Jack Frost—the Jack Frost _of the legends. She never actually thought she would _actually, actually _meet and befriend the snow haired myth with the same powers as her. Few people believed his tale, however, but she and Anna did because of her ice gifts.

She believed his tale, but only because she felt happy and comfortable that someone held the same prowess as her. If before he was just a placating idea of a boy who shared similar difficulties—what with the "gift" and coerced isolation—with her, now he had a face and laughter and flower for her to remember him always.

So as she went to sleep that night, she whispered to herself, "I had great fun with you, Jack."

And if she thought that that was the last time she would see him, well, she thought wrong. Since, here he was, once again standing in front of her.

Because it wasn't until after fourteen painful waiting years that Jack Frost would make another appearance.

Elsa drew her arms to herself, looking down before meeting Jack's gaze. He looked a little shaken when she distanced herself from him and rejected his hand.

"If you were here _all _the time, why didn't I see you? Why couldn't I see you?" she asked quietly, hoping her voice would not break. "Where were you when I _needed_ you?" _And_ then her voice, thick with unbidden tears, _did_ break and raised a few notes higher in her anger.

Normally, she would not have done so, as she was inclined to glare or leave the premises in her wrath, lest she blast all those who would not try to heed her argument. But she was in her ice palace—she needed time and space to think of Arendelle's upcoming activities and her parents—and this was Jack Frost she was talking to. So, _of course_, none of them would be bothered by the snow spontaneously falling everywhere.

But she cared. So she crossed her arms tightly to prevent any unwarranted act as he thought to answer her.

Conflict arose in Jack's face. He seemed to want to say something, but stopped himself from doing so. He sighed and put his hands inside the pocket of his blue jacket.

Elsa waited patiently for an explanation. She stared at him, and finally, he consented.

"I—I don't know how to explain it. But the thing is it seemed that you stopped seeing me throughout those fourteen years. _Suddenly_. And I didn't know how to approach you without hurting you _without _trying not to—I know you get what I mean. And I've tried _so _hard to let you know that I was there by using the wind and sky and snow, but none of the things I did _worked. _But now, well, I'm here, and you can _see _me," Jack explained, his voice seemingly deeper—if it could go lower than that—and a little edgy.

She saw his blue eyes fill with a few tears and couldn't look away. She couldn't look at him directly, though. The queen couldn't see his face without feeling angry, guilty, happy, and enlivened and a thousand other emotions, but she did not want to feel any of those. She can't. She can't. She _can't_, all because of herself.

There was a certain part of her, though, that ached to wrap her arms around him like she did when she was a child. It was a pity she didn't, however, because she felt a little timid in his presence. Her supposed wrath outweighed her compassion for Jack. But perhaps, it was also because she, well, was not used to men or any forthright displays of affection. Not that it would matter at the moment, though, because this is all honestly so, _so_ confusing.

Why _had_ she not been able to perceive him? Was there something wrong with her? Had she thought of him as a fanciful figure only after all when she did not see him the following weeks? But, no, she had proof of his visit because she still had that rose with her. So what was it? Maybe, she did something wrong around the time she was not able to see him anymore? If she did, what would that be? Could it be that that was the time when—?

_Of course, it was_, she finally realized. And when that dawned on her, she felt her breath taken and resolve broken.

Elsa's lips thinned, so she closed her eyes. She put a hand across her face and felt a tear escape from her eyes once more. And because a drop fell, others followed—followed until a sob shook her whole frame from crying. She hid her face in her hands to collect herself—it's all right for her to do that now, so she need not fret about freezing these bitter drops of water—and then breathed.

Oh, _all_ the regulating sessions with her parents. It has been effective. She has succeeded in a way, melancholically. They told her to conceal and not to feel, so she won't let her powers show because if she did, then they would _know_. But that was before when she was still afraid of herself.

Not now.

Still, she has _shut _herself to people and closed her doors on them. And by doing that, she has kept Jack Frost away. Maybe it was better, maybe it was not, but the fact remains the same that she hurt him by hurting herself.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, gasping. She could feel ice emanating out of her. Elsa could feel it swirling, and then she opened her eyes and saw snow crystals falling out of the sky. The ground she was standing on grew a few icicles.

Oh, no, this was _not_ good.

She looked up at Jack, who looked relatively calm and unfazed by this unbidden display of power. The queen called his name softly, and he gazed at her. And oh, how his eyes twinkled with something…

Then he raised his hand and told her, "You want to craft something with all these ice?"

"What?" she asked utterly confused.

Jack floated a bit and took her hand. She felt snowflakes subtly mark her fingers. Then she looked up at him, surprised and terrified. Then he smiled, saying, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Widening her eyes, Elsa honestly did not know _what _to say or do, actually. But Jack was smiling beguilingly, so she put her worries away. She tightened her hold of his hand and nodded. And when he took both of her hands—he put his staff on a string behind him—and then gripped her waist to support her when they floated above the ground, she did not mind the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach.

Usually, she would have talked men away from her to keep them at arm's length. But with Jack, she was oddly comfortably uncomfortable with his proximity. She felt his breaths behind her neck and nearly shivered. Elsa could feel her cheeks turning incarnadine. Fearing she would topple over, she gripped his hand at her waist.

"It's all right," Jack reassured, raising them both in the air. "I'll teach you how to fly."

Never afraid of heights herself, she smiled at his offer but did not remove her hand from his.

"Um, Elsa, would you mind flattening the icicles you made below, so we won't get hurt? I mean, I could do it myself, but I might damage the floor you carefully designed. Or perhaps you'd rather welcome the poking sensations they have to offer?" Jack asked. "I heard they're quite relaxing for the body. I've seen it somewhere in the Far East before."

"How do poking sensations help the body?" Elsa asked curiously, peering at him.

Jack raised a brow and smirked.

Elsa raised a brow as well.

"Well," Jack said, chuckling.

"Well, what?" Elsa asked.

Jack suddenly tickled her waist, and Elsa, laughing, tried her best to escape from his grasp to stop him from prickling her, but his hold on her was tight. Still giggling, she attempted to prod him on the neck and succeeded.

She managed to get back at him for tickling her, but she forgot to hold onto him while she was at it, so she stumbled and fell almost to her death. It was a miracle that Jack managed to grasp her before it was too late. Breathing heavily, Jack tightened his grip and peered over at Elsa.

Chuckling, he teasingly said, "You are _very _dangerous, Elsa."

Elsa stared into his blue eyes and smiled, but when she realized the delicate situation they were in, she wrapped an arm around his neck and waved a hand beneath them to flatten the icicles.

"Sorry," Elsa apologized.

"It's okay. We were having fun," Jack replied, easing himself off her, so they could fly down and sit on the ground of the balcony.

When they finally settled, Jack turned to Elsa and said, "I never did really tell you why I named the snowman Olaf, right?"

Raising a brow at the subject, Elsa shrugged. "I thought it was only because you liked warm hugs."

Jack's lips curled fondly. "Yeah," he said. "At that time, that was the reason I told you, and it's true, but it's not just that."

Elsa's brows furrowed. "Then what is it?"

Jack looked away from her for a second and tilted his head. Scratching his neck uncomfortably, he responded, "Well, do you remember what you did when you first saw me? You gasped. That was the first syllable—I mean, when you gasped, your mouth made a big 'O', so that's the 'O' in Olaf."

"How about the '-laf'?" she inquired, noticing Jack's cheeks turning red a bit—or was it her imagination?

"That's easier. 'Cause after gasping, you blinked, so I blinked, too. And you know what you did? You _laughed_. And it was… _beautiful_, the sound, because it was the first time it was directed at me _with _me. You get what I mean?" Jack continued explaining, gazing for a few moments at her, whose eyes suddenly seemingly twinkled at that elucidation.

When Elsa nodded comprehensively, he smiled and said, "So that's the '-laf' in Olaf. So that's why it's 'Olaf'."

Elsa chuckled, hugging her knees to her chest, and then smiled at him. "Thank you."

Jack _did _turn red, but he answered, "You're welcome, Elsa."

Elsa nodded and closed her eyes, sighing. Then she opened her eyes and said, "I've… always believed in you, you know, even when I thought I didn't."

Jack leaned in to see her face before saying, "Thank you."

Then Elsa turned and suddenly found his face near hers and when she saw his eyes were twinkling, glittering with something unknown and hazy, she admit she forgot how to breathe.

"Hey, Elsa," Jack said, touching the back of her head, "How did you manage to do this braid of yours?"

Elsa bit her lip, not willing to let his proximity faze her. Nonetheless, she replied, "I braid it normally at first and then gather some for the sides and then braid it again. I just repeat it until I reach the end."

Jack looked surprised at first, but then he smiled, patted her hair and said amusedly, "It's very pretty."

She could feel her cheeks redden and tried not to tap the ground with her foot, lest she set some icicles once more. So she just said, "Thank you."

But Jack did not remove his hand from her yet, so Elsa wondered what he wanted to do. Just in case, he tried anything, well, she would know where to hit him. She felt comfortable, however, when his hand softly caressed her cheeks. And the sensations she was feeling with his skin, it made her feel dizzy a bit. So she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on his shoulder involuntarily.

When she moved, Jack ensconced her in his arms, and they both sighed contentedly. Elsa wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head further into his neck. The snow haired myth smiled at the gesture and chuckled.

"I could understand why you like warm hugs," Elsa muttered, "except that we are both immune to the coldness of the weather."

Jack laughed, holding her closer. "I'd still like it anyway."

Rolling her eyes, Elsa moved a little away from him to see his blue eyes, which were radiant but cool like the snow crystals that fell just before he arrived. Grinning, she touched his cheek, slowly leaned in, and pressed a kiss near the edge of his lips. She heard his sharp intake of breath when she finally moved away a few moments later.

Looking at him, she saw that his eyes were momentarily closed and his cheeks were incarnadine. But when Jack opened his eyes, he could do nothing but stare at her dumbfounded.

"I—er, uh, um—Elsa—well, I, you—," Jack mumbled while she chuckled.

"I'll have great fun with you, Jack," Elsa said.

That silenced him.

But after a few moments, his lips curled until it broke into a full- pledged smile.

Elsa returned the smile just as he said, "Thank you for believing in me."

"Thank you for encouraging me," she said back.

"Well, wow, we've both been saying thank you," Jack replied.

"Yes, but it's very nice to hear," Elsa defended.

Frost blushed again, but smiled at her, saying, "So you still want to fly?"

"Of course," she answered.

"Let's go."

* * *

**[A/N]: **So, uh, what do you think? Any least/favorite scenes/stuff? Tell me about it. :)


	4. The Fluidity of Faith in Some

**[A/N]: **Thank you, everyone, for reading/reviewing/following/favoring! I am thankful. And because April 25 is epic Enjonine authoress frustratedstudent's birthday, I uploaded this earlier. I hope you enjoy! And pardon me for the tears last chappie probably caused.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Fluidity of Faith in Some**

That same day, at a later hour when the clock chimed eight, the queen and snow-haired boy went back to the castle. Before Elsa entered the threshold where she knew Anna and the rest waited for her, Jack hesitated in following her and ceased walking abruptly. It wasn't a few moments until the queen noticed the absence of the sounds of his footsteps, so she turned her head and saw his indecisive, contemplative face.

"Jack, is there something troubling you?" Elsa asked, raising a brow. Unconsciously, she wanted to grab his hand, but she stopped herself when she remembered where she was.

Frost looked down before gazing at her directly and swallowed before saying, "W-well, for one thing, they—they might not be able to see me."

"You fear they won't see you as you are and as I do?" she inquired carefully.

Jack gazed away before answering, "Yes." Then turning to her, he added, "They're not like you."

A fond curl found its way on Elsa's benign lips before she replied, "They're not like you, too. But I think you could give a handful people a try before you lose faith. And I think the folk of my kingdom know of your tale—remember it more recently, even, given the previous events concerning me. It's a bedtime story, I think, for some."

So she smiled encouragingly at him and beckoned him to come with her as she opened the gate.

"If you say so," Frost answered, following her as he tried to hide a smile as he watched Elsa walk in front of him.

* * *

When they reached a room, which Frost knew to be Elsa's because of the blue color and snow crystals, the Queen told him to go inside.

"Perhaps, you could stay here for a bit, Jack," Elsa requested. "I will call some people who will or can see you."

Frost eyed her warily, saying, "Are you sure it's going to work with these people?"

"Positive," she replied. "Now, if you don't mind me leaving—all right, then."

When she left, Jack observed her room, taking in the coolness of the colors she chose for her chambers. Smiling, he went to the window and touched the pane, not minding once more of the snowflakes—or _snow crystals_, as Elsa kept on repeating—forming on it. He perceived the landscape of the land of Arendelle at night and reflected on its twilight beauty. He remembered, though, of days and nights when he would peek through these same windows just to check on the queen—or high princess, before—when he tried to communicate with her.

Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead on the glass and muttered her name like a prayer—just like he used to when she couldn't hear him. So he reminisced the days when she looked below as he had when her parents died, when she got so mad that a lot of snowflakes appeared around her, but most of all, he remembered the first time she wasn't able to see him.

It was one of worst days of his life, second to the day he awakened without understanding what was happening to him.

She kneeled on this duvet by the window to perceive the first falling of the snow—he tried to weather it kindly, tuning it with the usual flow of the season—and it was at that time when he called her from the other side using a snow crystal to invite her outside. Jack thought before that she would recognize that particular snow crystal of his to go out and come and play with him, but she didn't.

That nearly gave Jack a heart attack.

Well, he probably had one that day, since he remembered a tear falling from his eye from the frustration of not being seen by his only friend. But what probably hurt him more was the fear in her face when he saw her get afraid of her powers.

He thought she was okay already, that she was fine after that day when he met her. But no, young Elsa was still afraid. And so, Jack left Arendelle for a bit. The thing was, he kept coming back—trying, trying to see if she would finally choose to see him again.

And this time, she did. That was enough for Jack. He just didn't expect she would try to let other people see him. That was going to be a big, big miracle.

Suddenly, the sound of footfalls roused him from his fancies. Turning around, he saw Elsa enter with a blonde guy—probably a mountain man from the posture and size of his body—and brunette who was, he assumed, her sister because of the smile. Behind them, a third figure, who he deemed seemed to be the noisiest of the crowd, entered, and he tilted his head a bit to see who it was.

Well, it was a snowman—wait, what? It looked the one they made before! Could it be that it was also called 'Olaf'? His lips curled when he heard Elsa turn to the snow creature and fondly responded to his snow joke.

"Hey, um, Quee—I mean, Elsa, who's that guy over there?" Kristoff inquired, raising a brow.

Anna looked at him curiously and then glanced around the room. "What guy? You're the only one _here_, Kristoff," the princess whispered.

Kristoff paid no heed, however, and asked the Queen again.

Elsa smiled and gazed at Jack, whose face paled suddenly. She smiled at Frost. Then she responded to Kristoff, "That's Jack Frost."

"Is that…the guy with ice powers? Like you?" the mountain man asked, surprise making his brows go higher and jaw drop. "As in, the one in the legend?"

"What? What guy?" Anna asked again. "Who has ice powers? Only Elsa _has _ice powers. And the only guy here with ice powers is _Olaf_."

Olaf just snickered in response to that, but Elsa just nodded to Kristoff. The snowman then ran to Jack Frost and prodded him with his twiggy hand.

"Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs," the snowman cheerfully said, earning a wide smile from Frost, who gave him a snow crystal. Olaf squealed in delight and said, "Thank you! You created me with her before, right? Riiiiiiighhht?"

Delighted that the snow creature would remember, Jack nodded and turned to gaze at Elsa, who raised a brow. He could not keep the grin spreading across his face, so he just smiled his thanks.

Shutting his dropped jaw, Kristoff headed to where Jack and Olaf were and said, "_So_, you really are real! I mean, when I was still a kid, I already believed you were real, you know? Because the ice men—they were the one who raised me—would tell me stories about you, so I wouldn't mind the cold in the mountain, and that helped me love ice because ice is my life, you know? And I wanted to be like you because you had these cool ice powers—what with your staff and all—and—and here you are! My freaking idol—Jack Frost!"

This time, Elsa finally glanced at her sister, who whispered, "He has had a dark past." To this, Elsa nodded and then proceeded to gaze at the two.

However, Anna whispered insistently, "Oh, and who's he talking to?"

Elsa raised a brow and just smiled enigmatically. "You'll find out soon enough."

Hearing his tale end, Jack looked at Kristoff, awestruck. Shaking his head to prevent his tears from falling, Frost laughed and thanked him. Hugging the ice deliverer, he said, "Thank you for believing in me."

His eyes skirted back to Elsa like it always did out of habit and allowed a few tears to blur his sight, smiling.

The queen's lips curled softly, so she gazed at the ground, her cheeks reddening.

Then Jack released Kristoff and told Elsa, "Thank you."

Elsa looked back up at him and nodded, her eyes lighting up at his smile.

Confused at the recent events, Anna finally burst, "WHO IS THIS GUY YOU ARE ALL TALKING TO? WHY CAN'T I SEE HIM?"

"You _can't _see him?" Kristoff asked, gasping at his fiancée.

"She must be_ blind_," Olaf remarked.

"What? No! I can _perfectly _see you, Kristoff, and my sister!" Anna burst tersely.

Elsa looked at Jack Frost, who looked bemused but smiled. The queen raised a brow, and he shook his head, as if to say, _Don't worry. It happens all the time._

Elsa shook her head, too, but firmly said, "She still hasn't recovered fully from the trolls' magic when they erased her memories of me having ice powers, it seems, so that may be the reason why she can't see you yet."

Then turning to her sister, Anna, who was gaping at her, she said, "Anna, months ago, you sacrificed your life for me because you loved me. I'm not going to ask you anything anymore except that you _believe_ me, please."

Still looking confused, Anna nodded nonetheless.

"I'm going to ask you three questions," Elsa began, standing in front of Jack. "First – do you love me?"

Anna smiled and said, "I love you, of course, I do."

Elsa's eyes twinkled, but she carried on to her second question. "Do you believe in me and my powers?"

"For the nth time in forever, _yes_," Anna replied.

The queen glanced at Jack, whose lips were curled in understanding, and then looked back to Anna. "Then," Elsa inquired, "Do you remember the legend of Jack Frost?"

Anna's smile froze for a bit, her eyes widening gradually as she peered at her sister carefully. "You mean," the princess said, "the guy with ice powers, too?"

Elsa nodded. Jack suddenly laughed, and that seemed to intrude on the queen's interrogation of her sister.

"Who laughed?" Anna asked, raising a brow to Olaf and Kristoff, who just chuckled at her naivety. Then she looked back at Elsa and noticed someone with white hair standing behind her sister.

"Hey, Elsa, who are you trying to hide from me?" Anna inquired, smiling.

Elsa visibly brightened, but before she answered her, the queen whispered something to the person behind her before replying, "Anna, here's the guy with ice powers like me – Jack Frost."

Then Elsa moved to the side and let her see the white- haired guy, who looked definitely handsome—well, handsome, yeah, but not as perfect as her Kristoff. Anna gasped, glanced at her sister, then back to Jack Frost, and then to Olaf, and then to Kristoff, and then back to Elsa, who was smiling widely.

"Oh my, _oh_ my," Anna said, covering her mouth with a hand before laughing.

Jack and Elsa shared confused gazes. Kristoff glanced at his Anna amusedly, nonetheless, while Olaf raised his brows and held his carrot nose, looking at the princess.

"Why is she laughing? Do you think she's gone crazy?" Olaf asked, tugging on Kristoff's boots.

Kristoff shrugged, saying, "I don't know what it is that she finds funny looking at my ice idol. But Anna can be crazy."

Jack nodded to Kristoff, while Elsa finally asked, "Anna, why are you laughing?"

At her question, Anna laughed even harder – so much in fact, that Kristoff had to hold her in his arms as she struggled to stop her chortles. When she had finally succeeded to cease her giggles, she said, "It's just that – I've always pictured Jack Frost as someone l-like, well, you know, ha-ha, Elsa, like – like Marshmallow!"

Jack's eyes widened and he finally blurted, "WHAT? You thought I looked like some sort of _monster_?"

"Hey – don't blame me, I've never actually seen who you are, and I have only had snowmen like Olaf here and Marshmallow there in the ice palace as those I relate to men with ice powers!" Anna defended, giggling after.

Trying to stifle her laughter with her hand, Elsa looked apologetically at Jack and said, "Sorry."

Jack pouted and said, "I didn't expect that, honestly."

"I mean you're handsome, yeah," Anna said, earning a glare from Kristoff and glance from her sister. She held the ice master's face and told him, "Don't worry, you're still handsomer for me." Then she kissed his cheek and watched him blush before turning back to Elsa and Jack.

"I, uh, well, sorry for that, but I just didn't understand the situation here at first, and I hope you would forgive me for being rude, but are you with my sister? Are you two, um, together _together?_ Since when?" Anna asked, smiling hopefully.

Jack and Elsa's brows rose.

"What? I'm confused. Pardon?" the queen asked. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Wait, what?" Jack inquired, looking at Anna and then at Elsa.

Then Olaf interjected, "You looked at her."

Realizing the implications of it, he tore his eyes away from the queen, and Jack replied, "Um, nope."

"Absolutely, no, Anna," Elsa, who seemed to have recuperated enough, responded hotly. "Jack's not dating anyone. I'm not dating Jack. No one's dating anyone except you and Kristoff here."

Anna laughed and tilted her head at the two before grabbing her Kristoff and heading for the door. Then she said, "All right. Anything you sa-ay, Elsa. Oh, and I'll just give you the report tomorrow! Goodnight, then!" Then she gestured to Olaf to follow her outside. The snowman eagerly followed the pair when he heard from Anna that they'll make a snowwoman if he went out.

Elsa raised a brow at this abrupt dismissal and departure of her younger sister but did not say a word more. She turned to gaze at Jack, but found him doing the same. The queen immediately looked away, coughing timidly.

"We have a spare room adjacent to ours. It's just two doors away. I'll lead you there," Elsa said, leaving abruptly and not waiting for Jack to follow her.

Jack, not knowing really what to say or do, just kept quiet and went after her. When they reached the door of his room, he hesitated to enter because he saw Elsa waiting for him. Frost gazed at her and raised a brow. "You're waiting for something, Elsa?" he asked.

Elsa glanced at him directly, not really responding at first. She was too busy gazing at his eyes and, um, lips. Jack tried not to feel uncomfortable with that. Well, it's not that he minded, but it's not helping him calm himself down if she's looking at him like that while he remembers her kiss earlier.

_Certainly not, _he thought, still waiting for Elsa to respond.

He was about to say something funny when the queen touched his face. Gently caressing his cheek, her thumb grazed across his bottom lip. Jack breathed and felt his eyes close at the contact. Then he heard her near him as she placed another hand on his hair, which she ran her fingers with before tugging at it slightly.

Jack sighed, feeling a little dizzy with her ministrations.

"Sometimes," he heard her whisper, "I questioned your existence. If you were just a figment of my lonely, imagined world, or real like you are now. It has always been like that for me, you see. Everything is fragile to me, so whenever I touch something, I would always be afraid that it would be crushed and destroyed and gone forever. So for the past fourteen years, I thought you were gone. Everything and everyone are just for sojourn, after all. No matter how immortal the soul is."

Jack opened his eyes and saw a few tears in her lids. He wiped away those bitter drops of water with a finger and proceeded to listen to her. Elsa neared him once more, putting her hands down to her sides and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"But today, you are real, very real," she continued, placing a hand on his chest. "And you are fragile, but you are my immortality—" she paused, taking his hand and holding it with her hands "—here in my soul, no matter the sojourn of my life."

Then she looked up at him. Jack tried not to cry as she smiled and said, "So thank you."

Frost smiled back and leaned in, gazing at her eyes. But he couldn't do it, not yet, because he wanted to wait for her. So he just closed his eyes and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

He heard her sigh as he moved away.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the festival, Jack," Elsa said, moving away.

"Happy birthday, Elsa," he said, grinning.

When Elsa raised a brow, he gestured to the grandfather clock which had already struck twelve, and she understood.

"Thank you, Jack," she said, smiling before turning to leave.

He nodded to himself before gazing at the moon outside the window.

The moon looked very bright.

Jack simply smiled before entering his room.

Tomorrow will be beautiful.

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**[A/N]: **So how was it? Any least/favorite scene/stuff? Tell me about it! :D


	5. Underestimating Love

**[A/N]: **Thank you everyone for reading/favoring/following/reviewing! "I am eternally grateful". :)

Enjoy the next chappie (while you can)! :D

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**Chapter 5: Underestimating Love**

Three knocks on her door alerted Elsa as she was dressing to prepare herself for slumber. The queen raised a brow, trying to discern the person based on the way he or she pounded on the door. But since only Anna knocks hard and thrice on the door, it had to be her. It had to be her because she only pounded on her door that way the year their parents died. When she was younger, she'd rap her tiny fist on her door rhythmically, always trying to call her out to play and be with her. Elsa never did told her sister that she was secretly pleased that Anna still wanted to be her friend even when she turned her back so many times, so she's going to reciprocate the fun, love, and fondness as much as she can.

So when Anna shouted from the other side of the door, "Elsa? Are you still up? I have to give you something!"

_Ah, yes, it is her_, she thought, smiling. "A moment, Anna. I'm not yet decent," the queen replied as she tied her robe and made her way to the door.

Finally done, she opened the door and let her sister enter.

The queen looked at her curiously and asked, "Is this about the report I asked from you three?"

Anna nodded and made to close the door for her sister before giving her a piece of parchment. "Listen, I know I told you I'd give it at a more suitable hour, but, um, it needs your _immediate _attention. We found out a lot today, and I'm telling you that not everything is good. So I'll leave you this paper. I'm afraid it might get on the wrong hands if I gave it to you any later. We're going to tell you more about it later morning. It just has to be safe with you."

Elsa held the parchment tightly in her hands and nodded, patting her sister's shoulder.

"It's all right. Thank you, Anna. Give my thanks to Kristoff and Olaf, as well. I'll handle it from here," the queen said, feeling the parchment's weigh.

Anna hugged her sister and whispered, "Happy birthday, Elsa. I'm sorry it's not the kind of present one gives for birthdays."

Elsa shrugged as her sister released her. "It will eventually go that way, Anna. I have no choice," she said, opening the door.

Her sister shook her head and replied with a smile, "You underestimate the people who love you."

Raising a brow, the queen asked, "What do you mean?"

"I meant that you have a propensity to do everything by yourself even when you are struggling. That's not a bad thing, sis, but sometimes you have to learn to share your burden. You can lean on us, too," Anna replied, gazing at her directly.

The elder sister sighed, her shoulders drooping. "I just don't want to hurt you or anyone."

"And look where that put you, Elsa," Anna rebutted, her brows knitting together.

Elsa gazed away and pouted. "It's easier that way, sometimes."

"And look where _that_ put me," her sister pushed.

_And Jack, too_, Elsa thought sadly, her eyes not meeting her sister's. "It's just that I… I don't know how to… how to…," she tried to say but found that she couldn't for fear of hurting Anna's feelings.

But her younger sister is insightful enough to say, "_Trust_. You have a hard time trusting people, Elsa." Anna took her hand and held it tightly before continuing, "It's not unnatural, Elsa. It's not _all_ right for me, but that's fine, even if it stings a little bit. Gradually, though, you will learn to because you have people who _love _you. Like me, like Olaf, like Kristoff, like our people, but most of all, like Jack."

Elsa raised a brow and looked up at her, but smiled and said, "Thank you."

Anna laughed and shrugged. "Was that hard, Elsa?"

Her elder sister shook her head and said, "It wasn't. But I do thank you. You better rest now. It's going to be exhausting tomorrow."

Anna nodded and hugged her sister before going out. "You sleep, too, all right?" she said, watching Elsa shrug. She pouted but when she saw her sister shake her head, she sighed and closed the door before leaving.

When the door closed, Elsa immediately sat on her duvet by the window and read the parchment. She went through it carefully, taking care not to miss anything before she reacts. The first time she finished, she could hardly breathe.

The second and third time, there were tears in her eyes.

They told her it would be hard to be a queen. She understood that. They told her it wouldn't be easy. She didn't ask for it to be. They told her it was important. Of course, it was, but _they _were pertinent, too. She did not want to crumple the paper or tear it into shreds or freeze it then break it, so she stood, walked towards her bookshelves and hid it in the favorite book of her father.

Elsa proceeded to lie on her bed and tried to stop her tears. She sobbed instead, so she sat up and tried to breathe, clutching her hands. She didn't want to release it yet, but the pain was too much because she knew.

_That's why, _she thought, gasping, _it was so hard._

Because it was always the last person you thought would do something nefarious to you.

And the queen, pondering somberly on this, fell asleep.

Fell asleep until rays of the light of the sun shone past her windows and hit her sorrowful, sleeping face.

A knock woke the queen from her slumber.

"Stefan? What is it?" Elsa said, groaning and rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

The butler replied, "Um, Your Majesty, I have to wake you. Theodora has to prepare your bath."

Elsa stood clumsily, stretching a bit, and replied, "Ah, yes, thank you, Stefan. Call Theodora after five minutes. I am not yet decent. Go wake Anna."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Stefan said.

"And I told you not to call me that, yes, Stefan? Do not forget," Elsa said back.

"Ah, yes, sorry, Your Maje—um, Elsa," Stefan stammered before leaving.

Chuckling, she released her hair from her braid and headed to the lavatory. Sitting on a chair, she took a brush from a nearby desk and tended to her thick, wavy hair. Using her other hand to loosen some tangled curls, she winced in pain. A few minutes later, Theodora entered, curtseyed before her, and worked on her bath.

When Theodora was done, Elsa stood and removed her outer robe. The brunette helped the queen unfasten her laces and undergarments. Fully undressed, Elsa stepped into the water and started bathing.

Theodora left her to prepare her attire for the day. When Elsa was done washing, she got up to dry herself and wear her underclothes. She went out of the lavatory and allowed herself to be clothed by Theodora. Thanking her, she released the brunette from her service and stood by the mirror.

Four years ago, when she looked at herself in the mirror, she would only see a scared girl with a scarred soul—afraid of her powers and capabilities, uptight and strict with braids twisted tightly. Now, though, on her twenty- second birthday, she found herself smiling and letting her hair down, not minding the soft curls forming at the ends of her hair. She now perceived a woman who looked charming and powerful, at the prime of her beauty and bravest.

She felt brazen and emboldened, her heart thumping, her thoughts happily spiraling—almost as if ominous news had not bothered her the night before. Indeed, if one saw the queen regnant, a leader of her own rights and prowess, one would perceive a sort of aureole around her. A halo of some indescribable light, and only people who have experienced it could manage to explain its feeling.

Elsa could feel it in her heart, head, and down to her toes. She did not regret anything, not her queen ship or her powers. It just strengthened her and pushed her to achieve more and move past her errors. This is why, as she put on her crown and disregarded the turquoise gloves lying on the table, she strode out of her room confidently and regally.

Her magnificent blue robes swayed with her every move as she walked towards the chamber where her councilors, sister, and Kristoff waited. When she neared the room, Stefan knocked on the door and opened it, telling the people inside that the queen will arrive momentarily. Closing the door, the butler greeted the queen as cordially as he could, for it was the queen's order.

"Good morning, too, Stefan," Elsa said, smiling as he opened the door to the chamber. Upon entering the room, she greeted everyone likewise and walked to her seat beside her sister and Kristoff.

"Good morning and happy twenty-second birthday, Your Majesty!" the council of advisers and her family spoke happily.

Elsa's lips curled into a smile and acknowledged their greeting with a nod. "It's much appreciated, Councilors, Anna, and Kristoff. Thank you. Please be seated."

As the queen strode towards her chair and finally sat, she observed everyone – Frederick Janvier and Victor Courtenay, usually arrogant and seated near her side, chose chairs farthest from her. Elsa would never admit it, but that suited them well. Despite this, though, she could clearly see the red- haired Victor looking irate and somewhat constipated. Janvier, on the other hand, pleasantly chatted with Louise. The queen was not surprised, but she did raise a brow subtly. Only Alphard, Anna, and Kristoff were near hers.

Calling everyone's attention to start the session, Elsa said, "Everyone – is everything ready?"

When almost all of the councilors quieted and gave their reports, the queen noticed that two people have not yet confirmed their assents. She eyed the other advisers and ordered them to remain silent. They followed and stared at the noisy couple.

"_Frederick, _I said not _here_!" Louise's voice was thick with her French accent as she whispered hotly to Janvier. Her auburn curls bobbed as she leant and shot a finger at his face.

"Well, _pardonnez-moi, mamselle, _but I think you've forgotten tha—," Frederick replied before being cut short by the queen.

"Lady Chevalier and Sir Janvier – how did you fare with your parts?" Elsa inquired, raising a brow at their discussion.

Louise sighed and faced the queen, saying, "Pardon us, Your Majesty. But there's been a bit of a trouble with the kingdom of Corona. Princess Rapunzel, Duke Eugene, and their escorts will arrive tomorrow and not today. Their liaison told me that they were delayed due to a small rancor with our associates there. I confess I still do not know why or how this happened, but the ambassador of Corona said that there was no harm done between both parties. Your cousin the Count Duchess and Duke both give their greetings and offer you a present in advance for your birthday and as a peace offering. It will be presented by the courier, Floriane Beaulieu, who they have sent ahead."

Elsa nodded at this and replied, "Thank you for that report. Is that all?"

Lady Chevalier nodded, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good," the queen said, "But I want this settled as soon as possible. Find out what caused this particular ill rapport between my cousin and her husband with our connections there. Then have a present ready for them, as well. If you can, by the time that the winter festival is over, sail over to Corona and talk to our liaison there. You must be accompanied, though. After that, report back to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Louise replied, gazing down and fidgeting with her gloves.

"All right. How about you, Frederick?" the queen inquired, noticing how his mustache twitched.

"The food is good, Your Majesty. I have already talked with our chefs. It will be ready after the announcement this morning," Sir Janvier reported, running a hand through his brown hair.

"All right. Thank you," she said. Elsa tried not to wince as Frederick pursued combing his hair before finally putting it down on his lap.

"I believe things are ready, then. You may all prepare yourselves before we invite the people in, then. We will talk about the report given to me by my sister, Kristoff, and Olaf once the festival concludes this Friday. Everyone can go now – except for Sir Alphard Bedivere, Kristoff, and my sister. Thank you," the queen said, watching as the rest of the council went out. Some of them breathed sighs of relief, probably because their most detested topic would be delayed for a bit. She saw Louise eye Alphard, who did not know she was gazing, before leaving.

When the door was shut, the company she excluded from going out gazed at her expectantly. Elsa first turned to her sister and Kristoff. Anna started, "You've read it, then?"

The queen nodded, saying, "Yes, and I wasn't surprised with some, but two names really scared me."

Kristoff nodded, as well, and replied, "Well – you can't have too much of a good thing."

Alphard raise a brow at their discussion and inquired, "Um, pardon me, my Queen, but I do not think I follow this conversation."

Elsa felt her shoulders drop before answering him. "I have told you and the other councilors that I have had my family check your industries. And according to the report, not everything is good. Now, I tell you this because you're the only one that has no sad tale to tell. The rest, though, is rather unfortunate."

"Even _Louise_?" the raven- haired prodigy said, his mouth agape and eyes widening.

Anna nodded and pouted, saying, "Unfortunately."

"But the matter's not up for discussion today because we don't have the time for it yet, so we put it aside for a bit," Elsa said, gazing at Alphard. "But I want _you _to accompany Lady Chevalier when she goes to Corona, so that you may guard her and find out whatever motives she may be hiding. Be careful, Alphard."

The raven- haired prodigy nodded.

"Um, Elsa? Actually, Kristoff and I have a suggestion," Anna said, smiling a little nervously while holding her fiancé's hand. Encouraging the princess, the ice master held her hand tightly and nodded to her.

"Yes?" the elder sister inquired, raising a brow.

"You've given Kristoff and me your blessing, and since we were planning to be married by summer next year and have a little honeymoon someplace, we figured we might as well take this chance," Anna said.

Elsa frowned, realizing their intent, and replied, "So you two are suggesting that you make the investigatory trip with Louise in Corona, where you two might plan to have your post- wedding celebration?"

"Yes. And it would be more strategically wise to do so," Kristoff explained. "With us as Lady Chevalier's escorts, we may be able to have the trust of Corona more. You two are cousins with the princess, and that may establish an easy bond between our countries. Anna is charismatic – she may find out more about the problem and solve it diplomatically. On the other hand, while Anna and Lady Chevalier work on soothing your kin, I will sleuth in the background. Hear from the commons like me in the crowd. I'm not really known that yet, and I could easily blend in by being a mountain man. Anna and I could do all that while guarding Lady Chevalier and trying to reveal her secrets."

The queen looked thoughtfully at Kristoff before clasping her hands together and leaning her head on it.

Then the younger princess added, "And you need Alphard here. As of the moment, he's the only one you can trust amongst your council of advisers. Other than that, he's a polyglot, good counselor, and witty. He's also _efficient_ in combat, swordfight, archery, and horse riding."

Alphard's cheeks reddened a bit. "I'm rather humbled, Your Highness," he said, gazing down.

Anna nodded, saying, "That is gracious of you, Sir Bedivere."

Elsa sighed; trying not to look defeated, but gazed at her sister. "Anna, even if your plan with Kristoff sounds brilliant, I cannot risk your safety. And I think Alphard would be better off to go with Louise since the Lady seems rather… _attracted _to him. He would be able to get more information out of her – not that I am implying that Alphard should do something ungentlemanly to do so. That is _not_ how we work."

The raven- haired prodigy looked redder than before, but he replied, "Your Majesty, I do not think I could do that to the Lady. But if you would hear me out, as your counselo, I think you should heed your sister, Her Highness, and Sir Kristoff's idea. It would be more plausible a story and will throw Lady Chevalier off her guard. You did not tell her who should accompany her, and I think it would be a good surprise. And I suppose you need not worry much about your sister since I have heard from Sir Kristoff that she fought off wolves with him while they were on a quest for you. And I think Sir himself would be able to protect her."

Anna and Kristoff looked at her hopefully. Closing her eyes, she breathed. Then she opened her eyes and gazed at the couple.

"All right, I will concede – _under the premises_ that you two return here _safely_. With the information we need _without _Louise suspecting you two of anything and happy kin," Elsa finally said, trying not to get too put off by the smirk of her sister. "You'll have a week to prepare, two weeks to get there in Corona, and another fortnight to find out everything and resolve matters. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Elsa!" Anna said happily, hugging Kristoff, who thanked the queen.

Elsa nodded and turned to Alphard. "As for you, Alphard, given your efficiency in many things, I will need you to be more careful around the other councilors and their many, as they say, _friends_. As early as now, Louise might already suspect something, but you must act normally. In case you need refuge, you can go to my ice palace. I will task Marshmallow and Olaf to protect you."

Sir Bedivere nodded, his grey eyes looking a little sorrowful but determined. "Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you."

"Good," the queen replied before turning to her sister. "And Anna, where's Olaf?"

Her sister laughed before answering, "Oh, he's in the palace gardens at the back with Jack Frost. They're playing something, last time I asked Jack."

The queen nodded, hoping that she could talk to Jack later.

Alphard raise a brow and asked, "Um, pardon me, Your Majesty, but who are you talking about?"

Elsa smiled, "You know the Jack Frost of the Legends?"

When Sir Bedivere nodded, the queen's smile widened before saying, "Well, he's real."

This time, the raven- haired prodigy gaped and said, "Well, this is a dream come true."

Kristoff nodded. "It is."

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**[A/N]: **So how was it? Any favorite/least scene/stuff? Tell me about it! :D I love hearing from you guys. :)


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